What To Wear Horse Rug Guide

Choosing the right horse rug is top of the list of questions we are asked by our customers and with our constant changing weather it is no surprise we are often left wondering what to wear!

What rug questions

1. Look at your horses natural coat. A clipped horse needs the warmth replaced with rugs, an unclipped horse with a hairy coat such as native breeds will not need rugs unless temperatures drop very low.
2. What is the weather forecast? – temperature, rainfall and wind
3. Is the horse in a shelter or out in a field? A horse out in driving wind and rain require different rugs to a horse in a shelter where the temperature is just a bit cold.

We have put together a chart as a guide. This is not set in stone as like us humans, every horse is different. We recommend you use this chart as a starting guide and then adjust depending on your horse.

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Neck Covers

We have seen an increase in people choosing to only use neck covers when the horse is out in the field. They are a great way of adding some extra warmth and keeping your horse dry. Often rugs have less filling in a neck cover compared to the rest of the rug as simply the horse doesn’t need so much extra warmth in the neck area.

Also neck covers are useful to keep the rain and dirt off if you are going to be riding your horse straight from the field and do not have time to allow the mud to dry and remove it with a brush.

One thing to bear in mind is they can cause rubbing of the mane area, especially around the time of year when horses change their coat. Many rugs feature a detachable neck cover allowing you to use it when necessary – in rain or windy colder conditions.

Rugging the clipped horse

We have to mention that just because your horse has been clipped – it is not one set rule. A fully clipped horse requires different management compared to a horse with just a bib or a chase clip. As a general rule a horse whose coat has been left on over his back and quarters will still hold on to their heat through their natural coat. However when you clip this area you need to look at rugging with a heavier filling.

Exercise Rugs

Out hacking a hi-viz exercise sheet is a great idea. Please ride your horse in an enclosed arena on a windy day wearing this rug before you venture out on to the road as some horses will require de-sensitizing to the rug. Using the rug on a clipped horse can remove them feeling quite so ‘fresh’ however if you are exercising them hard then do consider if you need to keep the rug on after warming up.

Waterproof exercise keep the rain off so perfect if you plan to out a rug on when you have finished riding as we do not recommend rugging a wet a horse unless it is a cooling rug designed to pull the moisture out of the coat.

Questions and Advice

We have trained advisors available in-store and by phone 7 days a week. Call, email or pop in to talk to one of us and we are more than happy to help.